His Burden
by saka moon
Summary: Come join us on a trip to a world where Jack Frost is not the Guardian of Fun but the Guardian of Death. Catch five glimpses of his afterlife as he interacts with fellow Guardians, dying children, and the ever-ominous presence of Pitch Black.
1. How to Give to a Child with No Name

(So this is a five part story based on a kinkmeme prompt, but since fanfiction doesn't like me, I can't post the link. Suffice it to say that the prompt is basically: I would like an AU with a Darker Jack who is not the guardian of fun but the guardian of Death, who acts as a reaper for children. He comforts the children before their death and then after they pass, he leads them to the after life. I don't want him evil, just darker than the movie character was.

That said, this is an AU with a Jack who's nowhere near as fun-loving as the Frost we all know and love. Also, people die in this story. No beta, sorry if my proofreading missed any errors.)

* * *

Under the accusing light of the moon and through the freshly fallen snow, someone quickly ran through near-deserted streets. She was a young woman - a young mother. She held her infant child in her arms as she darted into the shadowed back alleys, making sure no one saw her. When she was sure she was all but invisible in the darkness, she unwrapped the shawl from her child and quickly deposited the baby in the dumpster.

She didn't want to, but the child was a girl, and the woman couldn't shame her family with a female. She needed an heir - a male. She ran her fingers across the baby's cheek before quickly pulling her hand back and darting out of the alley.

The abandoned girl wailed as hunger and cold set upon her, but no one heard or answered her pleas. It was, after all, late Christmas Eve. Everyone else was inside enjoying the festivities or sleeping in hopes that Santa would come.

The infant's cries echoed uselessly until one snowflake, different from all the rest that gently drifted around it, landed on the girl's nose. She giggled weakly once before falling asleep, never to wake up again.

Jack stood next to the dumpster, a half-transparent baby resting in his arms. He gave one glance at the body - now merely an empty vessel - in the garbage before he began to gently rock the stirring child.

"Shh, it's okay. You won't ever be cold or hungry again I swear. Shh,"

The nameless soul looked up at him with eyes far too intelligent and innocent. She trusted him. Despite the fact that the only things she ever experienced were cold and dark and hunger and betrayal, this infant trusted Jack. He choked up slightly as she closed her eyes and fell back into slumber.

"It's not fair, North," Jack whispered to the jolly red man standing behind him.

Except he wasn't so jolly as he came up to Jack's side, "Is sad, yes,"

"She never even had the chance to make any memories or have any dreams," Jack continued, "she was just born! Why does she have to die now?" Jack asked, whispering as to not wake up the sleeping spirit in his arms, even though he wanted to scream out and rage. At the world. At fate. At the supposed mother who abandoned her. Jack shoved the urge aside. It was his job to comfort spirits passing on, not be comforted because of said spirits.

Instead he turned to North and requested, "This is her first and only Christmas. Do you think you can...?"

For a moment, the big man merely stared at Jack dumbly before blinking and replying, "O-oh, yes of course. One present for child. Yes, here," Reaching into the sack slung over his shoulder, North pulled out a small quilt. It was finely made, obviously crafted by the deft hands of the yetis. It was split into five sections, each one containing a stylized picture of one of the Guardians along with their various color schemes. In the center was a silver circle representing the moon.

North held the quilt out, and Jack gratefully accepted, wrapping it around the once bare child. It immediately gained the same half-transparency of the soul.

"There," Jack said softly. "Merry Christmas, little one. Hopefully you'll have many more if you choose to come back," The infant smiled in her sleep before slowly dissolving into little orbs of light and shooting toward the sky and her own little piece of heaven.

"I should be getting back to delivering presents," North said gruffly after the orbs had all vanished.

"Right," Jack said, step up onto an air current, "Merry Christmas, North, see you around,"

That said, Jack took off, not waiting for a response. After all, someone somewhere needed him, and it wouldn't do to keep them waiting.


	2. Of Memories and Their Usefulness

The boy was too young to be confined to a hospital. He was supposed to be too innocent to have the jaded, knowing look in his eyes. He didn't have enough memories for almost all of them to be as painful and sterile as they were.

Yet he was and he did.

His name was Tomasz, and he had cancer.

He'd been getting treatment for it nearly his whole life, yet still he never got better. In fact, lately, he'd been getting worse. His family and he had spent the day together, laughing at old jokes and photo albums, telling stories and talking about dreams. They challenged the fear and depression that came with the doctor's news. His doctors, behind a wall of cloth - as Tomasz coughed and spit out his last, rotten baby tooth - told his family that he had maybe a month to live if he was lucky. Now, after the festivities and revelry, the boy lay on his bed in a fitful slumber as his parents and older sister all slept in the chairs lining the room.

When Jack crept in through the window, Toothiana was there, floating above the bed and holding one small tooth in her hand. He took his place next to her, partaking in a moment of silence for the boy.

The silence was broken when Tooth noticed his presence. She startled and yelped before smoothing down her feathers, "Oh! Jack, how long have you been there?"

He gave her a sad smile, "Not long," He looked down at Tooth's hand, "Is that Thomasz's?"

"Yeah, it fell out today. It's his last, you know," Tooth explained, "and he made so many good memories today. I was so excited to help him in the future, but if you're here, then that means," She trailed off knowingly, gripping her elbows with her hands.

"Yeah, it's time for him to go," Jack sat on the edge of the bed, his insubstantial weight not even creating a dent in the mattress. He stroked the boy's hairless head.

With a small grunt, the child blinked his eyes open, groggily taking in his surroundings before his vision darted to Jack, "Who're you?"

"My name is Jack, kiddo, and I'm here to take you on a journey," Jack smiled encouragingly at the boy's skeptic look, "I really am, but first, I think somebody left you a gift. Why don't you check?" the young Guardian asked, inclining his head to the boy's pillow.

Tomasz's eyes widened before he snuck his hand under the pillow, and pulled out five zloty, "S-she's real! The Tooth Fairy's real!" He exclaimed, before looking up and noticing the five foot bird-like woman hovering at his bedside, "Woah!"

Tooth appeared shocked but quickly pulled herself together, "Hello, Tomasz,"

"Hi," The boy whispered, careful not to wake his sleeping family. He didn't say any more and didn't get up from his spot on the bed. Both actions would hurt the boy more than he already did, but everyone could tell from the way he clutched the coins to his chest and stared at the brilliant plumage of the Tooth Fairy that he was wonderstruck. Tooth looked as if she wanted to say more, but didn't know what she should talk about.

Jack smiled and spoke instead, "It's time to go Tomasz,"

Tooth's feathers fluffed in agitation, "Oh, Jack, does he really-"

"Yes," the winter spirit replied immediately, "He does,"

"I do what?" The boy interjected, obviously annoyed at being talked about right in front of him.

"You have to go," Jack replied seriously. He didn't clarify. The boy knew what he was talking about; Jack could see it in his eyes.

"I can't come back, can I?" He asked, and for a moment, Jack considered lying, but he didn't. The boy deserved better than that.

"No. No you can't," Jack answered forlornly, "I'm sorry. But where you're going? It's a great place. It really is. Free ice cream and movies and you can play all day long. You'll love it,"

"But my family," The boy objected weakly, unable to get the rest of his sentence out in his waning strength.

Jack merely smiled and brushed his fingers against the boy's head again, "You'll be reunited. Don't worry. No one can separate a good family like yours,"

The beeping of Tomasz's cardiac monitor was slowing down rapidly, and just as it reached zero, a snowflake - impossible in the heated hospital room - floated down and landed on the boy's nose.

Jack stood up, holding hands with a now transparent Tomasz. His previously bald head now contained thick, wavy hair, and his skin was no longer gaunt and paper thin. The boy looked at himself in amazement, "I-I don't hurt anymore!"

"That's right," Jack said, "You'll never have to hurt again. Isn't that great?" The child smiled up at him, "Come on, now. We have to go," Jack commanded, walking toward the window.

The boy paused, looking back at the adults sleeping blissfully unaware in the room, "What about them? They'll be sad," He mumbled, as if he'd get in trouble for objecting.

Jack kneeled down and looked the boy in the eye, "Yes. They will for a little bit, but they'll know you're in a better place, and they'll remember how awesome you looked when you smiled, and they'll be happy. For you. So that when you see them again you can be proud of them, and Tooth there will help. She helps people remember the important things, you see, and she's a Guardian, so she'll always look out for your family, okay?"

The soul considered this for a second before nodding, "Okay. Okay. I guess I can go then,"

Jack ruffled the boy's hair, "That's it kiddo. Now when you get there, look for a girl named Mary Overland Frost, okay? She'll teach you how to make the world's best snowball,"

"I will. Thanks, Jack," Tomasz flung his arms around the winter spirit even as he began to fade into little orbs of light. Jack remained paralyzed for a moment before he lightly grabbed the boy in a hug as well, not saying anything.

In the background, doctors were rushing into the room, and Tomasz's family woke up, only to collapse to the ground by their dead son's bed. Jack stood up next to Tooth.

"You will help them right? I don't want to be a liar,"

"Of course I will. I _am_ a Guardian after all," Tooth replied somberly, "But what about you Jack?"

"Hmm? What about me?" Jack asked curiously.

"Are _you_ okay? Do you need help?" She enquired, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Jack froze for a moment before he pulled himself together, "Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I have to go. Someone needs me," Not wasting any time, Jack flew out the open window.

It wasn't a lie, even if he didn't exactly know who needed him at the moment. Someone always needed him. After all, millions of souls were crying out for a salvation that only he could bring.

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_Oops, I forgot to mention that this story is already written out in its entirety, so, assuming my internet connection doesn't fail me, these updates should be quite regular._


	3. A Dream of Magic

She had already lost her last baby tooth and knew that holidays were centered around religions, not the childhood figures of the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause. She remembered having dreams once, both ones she had in sleep and ones she imagined of the future, but they were lost to her now. She had a family once, but it was broken years ago. Her brother was gone with her father somewhere on the other side of the country and her mother was hardly home ever since.

School was an escape from the drama of home, but it wasn't a very good one. The unsettling silence of her empty house was replaced with the meaningless drone of hundreds of people who were probably just as bad off as her - but better at hiding it.

And she felt bad for that. Certainly she must be weak to not be able to handle her life, but when those girls, skinny and pretty, would look at her and laugh not-so-discreetly - when those who were once her friends brushed her off - she decided she couldn't handle it anymore. She just wanted it to end. So, she'd end it herself.

Her mother took pills to help her sleep, so one night the girl snuck into her mom's bathroom and swallowed... she didn't know how many. A lot. However many were there. Just to make sure.

Just as she started falling into her permanent slumber, she thought she saw a snowflake land on her nose - but that was impossible. It was only September.

Jack hopped beside the girl as the snowflake melted. Her eyes were already closed, and her breathing getting slower.

He bowed his head, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't do anything for you," Silence answered him, "Please, Sandy. I know it's early for you, but give her one last dream. Just one. One where her life is happy. Please,"

Once again, silence answered him, but this time it was accompanied by the swirl of dreamsand above the girl's head. It formed into a family of four, and she held up her little brother as her father brought dinner and her mother laughed silently at something someone said.

It was a good dream.

Along with the girl's last breath, the dreams faded, and Jack turned to face the soul now standing at his side.

She breathed out a sigh, "It worked. I-I'm dead,"

"Yes," Jack replied simply, "You are,"

Silence stretched on, the girl staring at her limp body and pointedly not at Jack. Finally, she broke the hush, asking bitterly, "You probably think I'm stupid. I'm overdramatic. I should have tried harder, done better or something, don't you?"

"Honestly?" Jack said, looking at the girl, "Yeah, I would have appreciated if you didn't off yourself," Jack shrugged, "but I can't judge,"

Finally, she turned to look at him incredulously, "Aren't you supposed to be some sort of guardian angel? You're not supposed to say that! You're supposed to-to-" She waved transparent hands through the air, fruitlessly looking for what she was trying to say.

Jack smirked, "Comfort you? Well, while I am technically a Guardian, I'm not an angel by any stretch. Comforting's never been my strong point,"

She blinked at him before looking back at her corpse, "It's weird. I feel like I am detached right now. I mean, that's me I'm looking at. I feel like I should be some kind of emotional wreck right now?" Her voice raised in pitch at the last word, making it a question.

Jack shrugged, "You might be in shock. You did just die after all. When I first came to after dying, I couldn't even remember what hands were for a minute,"

A short pause, and then she asked, "Am I going to regret this later?"

"You might,"

"Should I have stayed alive?"

"Maybe,"

"Can I get another chance?"

Jack cocked his head, "Not for this life, no. Sorry,"

"But in another one?"

"Possibly, but you won't know anything about it. Reincarnation and all that jazz,"

She giggled softly, "You're right. You're horrible at the whole comfort thing,"

"You think so?" Jack cupped his chin in thought, "Well, then, let me try this again. Come on. I want to show you something,"

The winter spirit jumped onto the windowsill, the moonlight outlining his figure as he held out his hand toward the soul. She glanced at him skeptically before reaching out and grabbing the offered limb. Immediately, Jack jumped backwards into the open air, drawing a scream from the girl.

"Are you crazy?"

Jack just laughed as, instead of falling, they took to the air. For a while, Jack flew aimlessly about, just enjoying the carefree nature of tossing in the wind. Behind him the spirit was gripping his wrist tightly and trying not to fall.

"Put me down! Put. Me. Down," She commanded in a panicked voice, and Jack smirked at her before placing them both on top of a giant clock tower in the middle of the city, "Are you trying to get us killed?" She asked angrily, clutching one of the pillars decorating the roof.

He shrugged, "Well, that'd be hard, considering we're already dead,"

The girl was about to speak up again, but the clock below them struck nine, and Jack shushed her stating, "It's starting,"

"What is-" She trailed off as thousands of streams of golden sand started filling the sky. They illuminated the darkness with a glowing, gentle warmth as they twisted and swirled in a dance through the air.

Slowly, she let go of her death grip on the column and stretched out her hand to hesitantly touch one of the golden streams. A small unicorn formed and pranced around her before heading in the direction of the child it was sent toward.

She giggled and asked Jack, "What is this?"

He stepped up to her side, "It's magic. I know it seems hard to believe, but the world is a magical place, if you'll open your heart and let yourself be a part of it. I'm sorry that you lost this in your life, and I can't even guarantee that you'll keep it in your next one, but the possibility is there, and the world can be a wonderful thing if you let it," He turned toward his charge, "It's your job to rest now, recuperate. Heal the wounds inflicted on you from this life, but later you can decide if you want to come back and try again. So, what do you say? Think you'll give living a second chance someday?"

She looked toward the beautifully illuminated night sky, and then down to her wrists - once covered in a multitude of little white scars, even if now it was clear of all blemishes. Finally, she looked back up to Jack, "I-I don't know, maybe. Maybe the world isn't as bad as I thought it was, but what if the same thing happens again? What if I lose this again?" She gestured outward, indicating the sand and the magic that came with it, "I just - I'm tired of being disappointed all the time,"

Finally unable to handle it anymore, tears burst form the girl, and she ducked her head, covering her face with her hands.

"I know. I know, it's okay," Jack supplied, wrapping one arm around her shoulder, "No one's telling you to come back, but if you feel like taking that step off the edge and trying again. Well, you never know, you might find yourself able to fly,"

"No. I'll fall. Everyone always falls," She said through her tears.

Releasing his hold on the girl, Jack took one step back, then another, then another until he was floating on air and held his hand out to her.

"The choice is yours, but if you do fall, I'll be right here to catch you. So, what do you say?"

"I-" The girl's voice hitched as she stared at his hand. Already, she was becoming less and less visible, pieces of her dissolving into orbs, "I-" She took a step forward and broke into a run, leaping off the edge of the tower.

Just as she was about to grasp Jack's hand, she burst into a thousand lights shooting up in the direction of the stars until they disappeared altogether.

Jack stared after them for a minute before whispering, "See? I told you you'd fly,"

A swirl of golden sand distracted him from his thoughts. Sandy was floating on a cloud of his dreamsand just a few feet away. Jack flew up to join him on his cloud.

"Thanks for the help. Couldn't have done it without you,"

A thumbs up, followed by a question mark.

Jack shook his head, "I don't understand,"

Sandy huffed a silent sigh before pointing at Jack and forming a bunch of z's from his sand and remaking the question mark.

"Sleep? I - sleep? Am I tired?" Jack guessed and Sandy nodded in affirmation, "No. I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Besides I have work to do, people to see. I'll sleep when I'm dead,"

Laughing at his own ironic joke, Jack flew off toward the next soul in need. Someone, somewhere needed to be comforted.


	4. Hope in a Hopeless Place

The children were crying - and they had every right to. Who could do such a thing? The teachers in classroom 2A wondered. Who could come into an elementary school with a loaded gun and simply shoot down whoever stood in their path? Already two staff members were dead and three helpless students - a forth grader who'd been using the bathroom at the time the murderer broke in, a second grader who'd been cowering in the library, the dead librarian sprawled over him in an attempt to protect him, and a fifth grader who'd decided to ditch her English class that day.

The situation was dire, hopeless even - but despite this, the teachers managed to keep themselves together. Even if it seemed hopeless, they had to believe - to wish and hope - that these killings would stop, that they'd be able to protect the kids, that help would come in time.

Jack phased through the door to classroom 2A and looked at the three dozen or so children in the room, the two teachers there trying to keep everyone calm despite the fact that they themselves were fraying at the edges. Only after he acknowledged every human did he shift his gaze to the anthropomorphic rabbit also frantically attempting to help. The children were to distressed to acknowledge his presence, but the teachers seemed to soak in every speck of hope Bunny could give.

"You know, Bunny, sometimes a false hope is worse than no hope at all," Jack pointed out as he stepped up.

"Frostbite," Bunny said as he turned around to face his fellow Guardian, "No, but ya can't be 'ere! That would mean..." He trailed off as he turned to the first graders behind him.

"Sorry, Bunny," Jack said, "Sometimes the good guys can't win it all,"

The next moment, Jack was slammed against a wall, held there by Bunny's paw twisted into his sweater as Bunny himself glared furiously at Jack, "That's it? THat's what ya 'ave ta say? What 'appened to ya, mate? What 'appened to the boy who screamed at Manny for attention? What 'appened to the larriken who'd sneak into my Warren and freeze the sentinels? What 'appened ta the Frost that fought against doin' this," Bunny gestured to the children with his free arm, "with all 'is might? Where'd 'e go, huh?"

Jack blinked slowly, his shocked expression slowly changing to a rueful one, "He didn't go anywhere. He died, and no one was there to guide him, so he didn't go anywhere," A small, ironic smile crept its way to Jack's lips, "and now he has to make sure over and over again that no other child ends up like he did. That's what happened to him Bunny," Jack turned his attention to the door just as it slammed open, "It's time,"

The Easter spirit released Jack as he turned to face the intruder. He was not an extraordinary man by any means, but any man could be intimidating when he pointed the barrel of a gun at you.

Without a word, the stranger walked into the room, his eyes darting about wildly, his hand shaking as he aimed it at the first child he managed to notice.

"No!" Screamed a teacher as she lunged at him. Jack could only watch as the tiny wisp of a human charged the attacker, trying to grab his gun, only to be flung aside. A gunshot rang out and the teacher collapsed into the quickly pulling blood beneath her.

"It's amazing how useless we are, in the end," Jack pointed out as he formed a snowflake in his hand and started walking toward the children.

"Frostbite! You know which anklebiters he's gonna shoot at!" Bunny shouted out desperately, "You can save them,"

Jack stopped in front of a child named Adrian - aged six, had a crush on Molly in third grade, wanted to be a scientist like his daddy when he grew up - just as the assailant raised his gun right through Jack's head and fired at the boy. Amidst the screaming and blood, nobody noticed the single snowflake landing on the boy's nose.

Jack rose and turned to face Bunny, holding Adrian's hand in his own, "You know I can't affect anyone living,"

"Shut up shut up shut up!" The attacker screamed, clutching his head.

"I don't want to die!" The spirit wailed and Jack immediately crouched back down.

"Shh, shh I know. I know. I'm sorry. It's time to go,"

"Go where?" The boy asked, distracted from his distress.

"To a place where you can play all day. Doesn't that sound great?"

The boy seemed to contemplate this for a second before saying, "I don't want any of my friends to die either,"

Jack smiled, "Don't worry. They won't,"

"Um, ok, ok then I'll go," The child said, trusting Jack. The soul began to dissolve until it disappeared completely.

The killer regained his focus, staring at his gun for a second before shaking his head and leveling his gun at another child.

Bunny stepped up beside Jack, a horrified look on his face "Uh, Frostbite, hate to break it to ya but-"

"Don't worry,"

A gunshot rang out.

The attacker fell to the ground, a bullet successfully driven into his forehead from the sniper positioned outside.

"Help came," Jack finished, "Now, I can't do anything about the living, but the dead..."

Trailing off, Jack marched up to the assailant, "I don't normally deal with adult's souls, but I'll make an exception just this once. Placing his staff on the ground, Jack reached as if to grab the attacker's neck, only to go through it and pull the soul out by its neck instead. It flailed helplessly in his grasp.

"How are you?" Jack screamed, the calm mask he dislayed for the child shattering, "How dare you? They were children!" He clenched his hand. Immediately, the soul froze and shattered.

In the background, SWAT members began swarming in, checking the status of the room's inhabitants and calling an ambulance for the downed teacher.

"Jack," Bunny called out, grasping the spirit by his shoulder, "Are ya oka-"

"Bunny," Jack interrupted, "False hope is worse than no hope at all - but, I think, as long as you're alive no hope is really false. Keep them believing, okay?"

Jack looked up pleadingly and Bunny quickly answered, "Matter of course, mate, but what about your hope? Where's it all gone?"

Jack smiled and hopped away to the now shattered window, "I'm dead, Bunny. Hope's not relevant anymore,"

With that he took off. Another tragedy. Another death. Someone in the great wide world needed him to give them someplace better to go to.


	5. Cold and Dark

They were tired and starving and scared. Terrified, actually, and they had every reason to be. The woods were cold and dark at night, and the siblings were lost somewhere in them. They had no supplies and no training on how to survive. Every rattle of the bushes made them flinch, imagining vicious wolves or huge bears about to jump out and eat them.

He was especially scared for his little sister. She was only six. She didn't deserve this. Well, neither of them did, but he was ten so he could handle it, but she was only six, so he had to watch out for her.

"Don't worry. Don't worry. I'll protect you," He whispered, tucking his little sister in closer. It was freezing, every breath fogging in the nights chill. He could feel his eyelids drooping.

Something shook the tree branches, waking him back up and making him watch for whatever monster would attack them. He was so tired, but terror flowed through him, keeping him from falling asleep. His little sister was already asleep, and she looked so peaceful. He wished he could join her.

Something growled in the night.

Tears built in his eyes. He just wanted this all to stop.

So, so tired.

So, so scared.

Jack stood in front of the children slumped against the tree. A boy with the shell of a girl tucked in his arms. The actual little sister was riding piggyback style on Jack, sleeping. It was the boy's time as well, but every time Jack tried to pull him, a shadow interrupted him.

"Pitch, stop it. This is childish,"

"Oh? I was unaware you had qualms about having a little fun," the shadows condensed and a man stepped out. He wore black, head to grey foot, and his golden eyes glinted in the darkness, "Aren't you all about playing with children and immature little tricks?"

"Not when it comes to life and death,"

"_Just_ death, you mean." Pitch sneered, "If I recall, Life isn't exactly your forte, Frost,"

"Doesn't matter. Let him go Pitch. He deserves to rest,"

"Die, you mean. It must be so exhausting, watching kids die day in and day out. You can't possibly be handling it as well as you act like you are,"

Jack narrowed his eyes, "What are you playing at? This is my job, and I intend to do it until..."

"Until when? Until the Christians' lovely Judgement Day? Until eternity? Until the Man in the Moon sayeth otherwise? Frost, I've been doling out fear to these humans for a small eternity; do not think you'll get off any sooner. You'll continue until either you break or the world does." Pitch paused, staring at Jack meaningfully, "Which do you suppose will come first?"

The shadows wrapped around the entity of fear and he disappeared into the night, but Jack could still hear his voice, "Go on and collect your little soul, Jack, and the next and the next until you're crushed under the weight of them all. I'll savor the moment you buckle and collapse,"

Jack's eyes darted back and forth, making sure the other was really gone before he turned his attention back to the kids. Without the adrenaline to keep him awake, the boy was quickly slipping under. Jack reached out and pulled a snowflake out of the air, tossing it toward the child's nose just as he fell asleep.

A moment later he was standing beside Jack, small, transparent hand in his. Quietly, Jack slipped the girl off his back, and handed her to her brother.

"What's going on?" The boy asked, as he instinctively pulled his sister in close.

"You tried your best, and now it's time to rest. Everything will be better once you wake up," Jack said, crouching to their level.

"Will momma and papa be there?" The girl murmured, waking.

"They'll be there soon. Don't worry,"

The boy stared at Jack, tucking his sister in closer even though she squirmed, and Jack could see the fight forming in the boy's eyes. He wasn't old enough to understand the details, but he knew what was going on, and he didn't want to go. He had stuff to do - people to protect. He had dreams to follow, astronauts to become and Christmas presents to open. He'd been terrified beyond rational thought only moments ago, but even that was preferable to this.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, "It's too late. You have to go,"

As he began to disappear, the boy said in a tone that indicated he was copying something an adult told him, "If you were really sorry, you'd do something about it,"

"Bye bye," The girl said oblivious to her brother's anger, her waving hand the last thing to disappear.

"Bye," Jack waved, even though they were already gone. He stayed crouched for a minute. He felt heavier than usual, as if someone had draped a lead blanket over his shoulders. Contrary to what the boy said, if Jack had only done nothing, he might have lived. Pitch might have continued scaring the boy into the waking world until someone came to rescue him. He would have been traumatized for life and it was too late for his sister, but he could have lived. If Jack hadn't done his job.

Waving the thought away, Jack pushed himself up with his staff and took off. Pitch was right about one thing: Jack's department wasn't life; it was death, and someone out there was calling to him. He had work to do.


	6. Epilogue: At World's End

Jack watched as the soul flew to the sky - just as countless others did before it. As it faded away, he couldn't help but wonder where it went. For millennia he'd been comforting them with tales of beautiful afterlives in which they could reunite with family and friends, but the truth was he didn't know. Perhaps the souls he shepherded merely faded from existence after they faded from view.

Jack shook his head and pivoted on his heel. He didn't have time to think of trivial things like that; he had work to-

There was no pull.

Jack blinked and turned in a slow circle waiting for the familiar tugging at his core that would lead him to the next child who needed to be put to rest-

But there was none.

There was no child. No adult. Not a single human being left, he realized. Jack stared at the desecrated land that surrounded him. The Earth had been torn asunder by the humans' last world war decades ago and they'd been struggling to survive ever since, but he'd never thought they'd go extinct.

Jack's staff fell from limp fingers as he collapsed to his knees. Pitch had been wrong, all those millennia ago. Jack didn't break first; the world did. Jack won that bet! If only he could tell Pitch, but Pitch and the rest of the Myths had died out long ago.

North was the first to go. As Christianity was replaced by another religion, Christmas soon became a forgotten tradition and along with that, Santa Clause. Jack had always known North was a child at heart, but when he felt a tug toward the North Pole, he never thought he'd be the one to send North's soul off. When he'd arrived, North was laying on his bed, too weak to even sit up when Jack climbed in through the window. Still, the man had a twinkle in his eye as his soul broke apart and flew heavenward. Jack had wanted to mourn then - but he'd work to do and quickly flew off.

The Tooth Fairy followed shortly after. At first Jack couldn't understand why he felt he had a job at the Tooth Palace, but he quickly learned. The Baby Teeth were children in their own right - all six thousand nine hundred and twenty-one of them - and they were all dying. When the last little Baby Tooth - the original Baby Tooth, Jack's close friend - passed on, her mother quickly followed, tired and heartbroken from tending to her ailing children. Jack had assumed she'd be furious at him for taking them all way, but she merely smiled tiredly and asked him to keep taking care of his teeth. He'd agreed and she followed her children into the sky. He'd wanted to move them all away from the ruins if the palace and give them a proper burial, but guiding all those souls had taken time, and Jack was sorely needed elsewhere in the world.

Sandy was next, and Jack was present at his death only by the most ironic of coincidences. At the time, humans had been going through a phase of population control that had lowered their number quite a bit. That combined with the advancements in medicine meant that Jack hadn't been nearly as busy as he usually was. He'd just finished sending a soul off when he'd noticed Sandy's sandcastle floating overhead, and Jack had decided to take a break from all the death to visit his friend. He found Sandy lying on his back, eyes closed and light quickly fading. Sandy was the only wishing star that still shone even after he fell, but even he had a limit, and it appeared that was it. Jack hadn't been prepared to take a life at that moment and crouched beside Sandy at a loss. The older spirit smiled wryly at Jack's confusion, opened his mouth and actually _whispered_ to Jack that everything would be okay. He was so shocked by the revelation that he found himself frozen as Sandy dimmed out of existence and then shot upward exploding like a firework in the sky. In retrospect, it was just like Sandy to go out with a bang. Shortly after that that the population started booming again, and Jack never had the time to mull over the fact that Sandy could talk.

It was about then that the moon was destroyed - shattered by an impact with a meteor. At the time, the few remaining Myths had wondered what would happen to them, but nothing changed. No sudden loss of power, no one suddenly fading out of existence. The Spirits that were dying continued to die and humans adjusted to the fragmented moon's effect on their ecosystem with new sciences and machines. After while, Jack found himself wondering if there had ever been a Man in the Moon at all. Perhaps he was the one true myth.

Bunny was the last of his friends to die. He was a Pooka to the core, and his lifespan reflected that, but even Pooka weren't immortal. Jack's best friend died of old age nearly a millennium ago. Right up to the end, he was arguing at Jack, commanding him not to give up hope and especially not do something sappy like cry over his death. Arguing _at_ because Jack hadn't said anything back, merely smiling and nodding as the old kangaroo raved at him good-naturedly. Now, Jack wondered if he shouldn't have said something. It was the last time he'd ever see Bunny alive. Up until this point, Jack hadn't had much time to consider it, but now - now he had all the time in the world.

And Jack was alone, completely and utterly alone.

He slammed his fist into the ground as tears began to fall form his eyes, dotting the earth beneath him. He was alone. No purpose. no friends. No family. Nothing to distract him from the torrent of emotions that had been building up inside for eons. He could feel the storm welling up in him. Every thought he'd ever pushed aside. Every time he didn't grieve, every despair he buried, everything he put off in favor of his job was bubbling up to the surface, and Jack felt like it would rip him apart. He had to let it out.

So he screamed.

It was a wordless shout that echoed off the crumbling mountains in the distance and shook the pebbles beneath his feet. It scratched his throat, and hollowed out his lungs. His stomach soon became sore from the effort, and his head grew dizzy but Jack couldn't stop. He'd broken the damn, and now everything inside him was demanding to be released.

So he screamed.

He screamed until his voice was little more than a brittle rasp and he felt empty inside. It was like a void had opened up inside him, yet he still didn't feel any better. At some point night had fallen, draping the world in a darkness only slightly broken by the faint rays of the fractured moon above. Ice spread out from Jack; it seemed that emotions weren't the only thing he released. As far as his eye could see, the world was frozen over.

He was only shocked for a moment before exhaustion took over, and he collapsed fully onto the ground. After a minute, he managed to turn his head so that he could breath, and he stared at his hand through vision that refused to focus.

He was so tired. He'd always been tired, he realized, but he couldn't stop then. He'd had a job to do.

But he didn't have any work anymore...

So it would be okay-

if he slept

just a little...

As Jack closed his eyes, he thought he saw his hand begin to dissolve into little orbs floating heavenward.

...

...

...

...

"Oh, you're finally here Sweettooth, and look at how good his teeth still look! Right, girls?"

"My boy, I am being very happy to finally see you again. Wait until you see new toys I have designed.

"'Bout time ya got 'ere, mate. My wife's been dyin' ta meet ya,"

"Hello Frost Child. Haha still shocked that I can speak, I see,"

"Jack. Jack! Let's play hopscotch! Come on! It's as easy one, two three-"

* * *

_Alrighty then! So, my finger's slipped and I accidentally wrote an epilogue. Thanks for taking this little journey with me! I've been getting a couple requests to write out a chapter on the origin of Jack Frost the Grim Reaper. How many of you would lke to see how Jack became the Guardian of Death? Review or shoot me a PM to let me hear your thoughts._


	7. Author's Afterward

I'm sorry guys. I know how disappointing receiving an update and then realizing it's only an author's note is, but I thought I should just update you so that you know what's going on.

I tried very hard to write a _one-shot_ on Jack's origin story. Tried and failed. So now I have yet another multi-chapter story among the fifty or so I already have on my hands to work with. This means a few things.

One: I won't be posting it until I'm done or nearly done with it. I've learned my lesson form the first couple of stories I've posted. So you may not hear from Jack the Grim Reaper for a little bit while I wrap up the prequel.

Two: It will be posted as a separate story. Therefore, this story is officially complete and will be marked as such. I do believe I'm calling the prequel At Death's Door. So look out for that.

Three: as stated, I am working on about fifty different ongoing, multi chapter stories. (Just for this fandom alone let's not even mention the others) So, it may take quite a while for ADD to come out. For that, I apologize.

Thank you for your patience and for reading and/or reviewing! I'll see you next time I update!


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